All week long the main conversation concerning this Sunday's Washington and Philadelphia game has revolved around the return of Donovan McNabb to Lincoln Financial Stadium as the Redskins starting quarterback and rightly so.
The trade of McNabb was the biggest offseason story not only for the Eagles but for the rest of the NFL as well. In his 11 seasons with the team, McNabb led the Birds to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl while rewriting the team's record book for the quarterback position along the way.
To make this whole story even more dramatic is the emergence of Michael Vick as a more than capable replacement for McNabb's services. If Vick continues to play the way he has in the past 2 1/2 games, he is going to make Andy Reid look like a genius for pulling the trigger on this controversial trade.
In reality this game will much more than a McNabb-Vick showdown. Each of these teams needs a victory in this game to help their position in the division, and while I would expect a couple of key plays by both these players, the end result will be determined by much more than that.
As a rule, games between these two have a tendency to go right down to the wire with the outcome hanging in the balance until the bitter end. It might hinge on the Eagles defense having to rise to the occasion to prevent McNabb from proving that Philly made a mistake in trading him away. The outcome could possibly be trust upon the right leg of David Akers, who might be called on to make a game-winning field goal. There are a number of factors that will have an impact on the final score as this game should be a great barometer of just how good this Eagles team really is.
Whatever the case, this game is about much more than just McNabb and Vick, but they will most likely remain the focal point not just this Sunday, but for the rest of the season as well.
Below is a link to my complete preview of this game as originally posted on Cappers Picks
Washington vs. Philadelphia Preview & Free Week 4 Pick
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